Imminent End of Colombian Ministry of Equality, Created by President Petro

One of President Gustavo Petro‘s most cherished initiatives has reached its twilight, even before the president completes his term on August 7. The Ministry of Equality and Equity has come to an end, which embodied one of the flagship causes of progressivism. The government agency, created on June 29, 2023, did not even manage to complete three years of existence due to a ruling by the Constitutional Court.

The law that created the ministry (Law 2281 of 2023) was subjected to a constitutional review by the high court, but it failed that test. Everything was set out in Ruling C-161 of 2024. As a result, the ministry began preparing itself for the imminent risk of disappearance, as it still depends on Congress providing it with a legislative lifeline before the expiration of the deadline established by the Constitutional Court, scheduled for next June 20.

However, the environment for that has become clouded by the intense presidential campaign that has absorbed the entire country, including lawmakers. The ministry carries two heavy burdens: It has become a symbol of the government’s ineffectiveness and its lack of budget execution, as well as of the extremely high turnover of ministers under the Petro administration. During its brief three years of existence, it was headed by Vice President Francia Marquez, Carlos Rosero, Juan Carlos Florian, and Luis Alfredo Acosta Zapata.

But this high ministerial turnover did not occur only in the Ministry of Equality. In total, across the 19 ministries that make up Colombia’s executive branch, President Petro has had more than 60 ministers.

The closure plan is already underway

The Ministry of Equality recently began, after publishing an internal circular, to implement a schedule for its departments to carry out the corresponding transition and closure process.

The process includes the completion of essential activities, submission of management reports, and organization of documentary records associated with each position.

The plan establishes June 17 as the final day for departments to complete their main activities and prepare the required reports. The following day has been designated for the internal consolidation of information and the reorganization of departments. On June 19, the formal handover of institutional assets, equipment, and clearance certificates will take place.

If by June 20 the flaws identified by the Constitutional Court in the law that created the ministry have not been corrected, the entity would have to be abolished and its functions transferred to other public agencies.

How complaints and claims will be handled

This Thursday, the entity released a circular informing citizens of the general guidelines that must be taken into account for the internal processing of petitions, complaints, claims, suggestions, and reports (PQRSD) in connection with the cessation of operations. Thus, although there is still no formal liquidation decree, the ministry has begun preparing everything necessary for a possible dissolution.

But within the ministry, its closure is already considered a fact. The circular warns that the Constitutional Court ruling “implies that the entity must cease its operations, making it necessary to establish guidelines for the processing of petitions, complaints, suggestions, and reports submitted to the entity.”

In that regard, officials indicate that the reception of PQRSD submissions will continue only until next Monday, June 15, “for the purpose of having sufficient time to provide a clear and substantive response by the date of the entity’s administrative closure.” At the same time, the ministry confirmed that citizen service channels will remain available until next Friday, June 19.

Those channels are:

Virtual channel: This channel is available Monday through Sunday, 24 hours a day. Submit your requests anonymously or through registration via the Virtual Service Desk.

Virtual Channel: This channel is available Monday through Sunday, 24 hours a day. Submit your requests anonymously or through registration via the Virtual Service Desk.

Email: This channel is available Monday through Sunday, 24 hours a day. Send your petitions to contacto@minigualdad.gov.co. Send your report to the email address ocid@minigualdad.gov.co.

Telephone Lines: Contact the switchboard at (+57) 601 6664543 or the toll-free line at (+57) 01 8000 121181. Telephone assistance is available Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.